Better Late Than Never
by NCISgirl1527
Summary: It is Valentine's Day. Catherine is alone. Nick is worried about her. Greg has to find a phone number. Grissom and Sara are married...well sort of... Grillows! Trust me. Grillows.


_**So here is a Grillows Valentine's day fic because it there aren't enough Grillows fics in the world. Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: I am a Grillows fan. Do you think that if I own CSI?**_

_**Spoilers: Long Ball, Goodbye and Good Luck, Family Affair, One to Go**_

FEBRUARY 12 2010—22:00

Catherine slammed her office door behind her. Nick and Greg, who were both walking looked at each other. "You want to talk to her?" Greg asked Nick.

"Yea I do," Nick told Greg.

Greg opened his mouth then closed it and nodded. As he walked away Nick turned towards Catherine's doors. He knocked on her door gently.

"Come in," Catherine's voice called after a few seconds. Nick opened the door and let himself into her office. Walking across the room he sat down in a chair in front of her desk.

"How are you doing?" he asked her.

"Just fine Nicky but thanks for asking," Catherine said lightly looking back at her paperwork.

"Catherine if you were okay you would not have slammed the door," Nick pointed out.

Catherine looked at Nick. She knew that she could trust Nick but she did not want to worry Nick with her problems. "I am fine Nicky," Catherine told him, "I just don't like Valentine's Day."

"Why not?" Nick asked.

"Because Valentine's Day is a time for happy couples and love…" Catherine's voice drifted off.

"There's got to be someone that you love," Nick told her. He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew who it was but need Catherine to confirm it.

"There is," Catherine told him shortly.

Nick knew that this point there was not chance of Catherine admitting it of her own freewill. "Is it Grissom?" Nick asked.

Catherine looked at Nick for a long moment. "Yes," she confirmed quietly, "but he is married and that ship has sailed. Now I am sure you have paperwork."

Nick nodded but just before he closed the door behind him he looked back at Catherine. He could not see her face because it was turned to look at a picture, a picture of Grissom and Catherine laughing. Nick smiled at the photo as he closed the door behind him then hurried down the hall to find Greg.

Nick finally found him sitting in his office. "I need a favor."

"What is it?" Greg asked slowly.

"You know how you told me that Sara acted a little strangely when you talked about her not seeming like she was married to Grissom?" Nick asked Greg.

"Yes," Greg said slowly, "Why? What are you thinking?"

"I am thinking that we find out what is behind that," Nick said equally as slowly.

"You mean look for the marriage certificate?" Greg asked incredulously.

"No I just need you to find Grissom's new phone number for me," Nick told Greg, "I will figure the rest of it out."

"We are Sara's friends," Greg pointed out.

"We are Catherine's friends too," Nick pointed out, "and if we do this right and Sara is married to Grissom then no one gets hurt. If Sara is not married to Grissom then Catherine at least disserves to know that."

"Dangerous waters," Greg muttered as he typed something into the computer. Several minutes later he wrote a number down on a sticky note and handed it to Nick.

"Cheers," Nick said taking the sticky note and walking out of the room.

--- --- ---

Grissom was awoken by the ringing of his cell phone. Grissom grumbled as he reached for the phone and checked the caller ID. "What do you want Nick?" he asked as he picked up the phone.

"Oh I just wanted to know if you were coming to the Valentine's Day party," Nick said coolly.

"Do you know what time it is?" Grissom asked.

"06:00," Nick responded.

There was a paused. "And what made you think I would want to come to the Valentine's party?" Grissom asked, "I never came when I worked at the lab."

"I know I just thought that with you being married and all you might want to do something romantic with your girl," Nick told him.

Grissom looked at the phone. "I'm not married Nick," Grissom said slowly, "Why would you think that?"

"Oh Sara has been working with us at the lab for the past few months and she said you two were married," Nick told Grissom casually.

"Sara and I went our separate ways months ago," Grissom told Nick, "So no I will not be coming to the party."

"You have to come now," Nick told Grissom.

"Why?"

"Because when you left to keep Sara's heart from breaking you hurt another woman more than you could ever know," Nick told Grissom.

"Who?" Grissom asked Nick.

"I think you know who," Nick said a little bitterly. "She was your best friend for some twenty plus years. She was there for you even when you weren't there for her. She didn't care about her happiness as long as you were happy so she helped you open up to Sara. Then you left her with no real good-bye."

"Catherine?" Grissom asked Nick.

"Who else?" Nick responded. There was a silence for several moments until Nick broke it. "She loves you, Grissom. She has for a long time."

Grissom heard Nick hang up the phone and he turned to look out the window. He hated the thought that he had hurt Catherine. He had always had a soft spot for her. She had been his best friend for a long time even when he did not deserve it. Somewhere in there he had fallen for her but he had not been able to see that or maybe he just hadn't wanted to see it. It was so much easier to be in love with Sara. At least it had seemed that way until now. Now he realized that he had not been fair to either of them. He needed to make things right with both of them but especially with Catherine. He would be there for Valentine's Day.

FEBRUARY 13 2010—08:00

Nick caught up with Sara as she was leaving the lab. "Sara can we talk?" Nick asked her.

"Of course," Sara replied, "What about?"

"Grissom," Nick said simply.

Sara closed her eyes and smiled to herself nodding. "You called Grissom about Catherine didn't you?" Sara asked.

"Yes," Nick said a little shocked. Sara was not upset.

"He told you that we weren't married?" Sara asked.

"Yes," Nick confirmed, "Aren't you upset?"

"No," Sara replied, "not really. I knew you would figure it out eventually. I almost told Greg but decided not to."

"Why did you lie in the first place?" Nick asked her.

"Well I started it right after Grissom and I had gone out separate ways and I didn't want to admit that it had happened," Sara told him. "I also was a little mad at Catherine because I could not help but wonder if she had never met Grissom would our relationship have worked."

"Would it have?" Nick asked her.

"No," Sara said shaking her head, "It would never have started in the first place. Do you know how many year Catherine spent making Grissom lift his head from the microscope and have a relationship?"

"A lot," Nick agreed.

"Actually it is best that you called my bluff the way you did," Sara said, "because I am guessing that you did it for Catherine and by talking to Grissom."

"I did," Nick confirmed, "Why is that good?"

"They will be too happy to be mad at me," Sara told him.

"Hey there was no harm done," Nick told her despite that fact that he knew how much it had hurt Catherine.

"Nick I appreciate that you are trying to make me feel better but we both know that I hurt Catherine," Sara told him.

"You didn't hurt her," Nick told her, "Grissom did."

"And now he is going to fix that," Sara said.

"At least that is what we can hope for," Nick told her.

"You know if I were Catherine and she were me, I would have gone off the deep end," Sara said shaking her head, "I would also give Grissom more than a good talking too."

"Well let's hope that Catherine doesn't react like you," Nick told her and Sara laughed.

FEBRUARY 14 2010—01:00

Catherine was staring at the picture of herself, Grissom, and Lindsey that she kept in her desk. It was her favorite picture out of all the ones she had of them because they were all together. It was Valentine's Day and she was all alone. What hurt more what that the three of them hadn't been together like that for a long time. She heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Catherine called putting the photo on her desk. The door swung open to reveal the last person Catherine would have expected to see.

"Grissom," she greeted him a little coolly.

"Cath," he replied gently, "Are you crying?"

"What?" Catherine asked feeling her face and realizing that here were tears there.

"Are you crying?" Grissom repeated, "There are tears on your cheeks."

"Yes I realize that now," Catherine said standing up and wiping the tears away forcefully and suddenly all the hurt and anger she had been holding back for over a year broke down that wall she had kept it behind. "You know that doesn't surprise me all that much because I've been crying a lot in the past year. People tend to cry when someone hurts them and when your best friend of twenty years suddenly decides that I am not even worth a proper goodbye when he leaves to be with another woman, that hurts Gil. It hurts a lot." Her voice had risen through her entire speech and now she was almost yelling.

Grissom looked at her, "I thought you said that you knew before I knew."

Catherine looked at him in utter disbelief. "I did," she told him, her voice lower but not by much, "That did not make it hurt any less. That did not mean that you did need to say goodbye. I've had a lot of men in my life who have lied to me, and used me, and eventually left me without looking over their shoulder but I never thought that you would be one of them."

"I never lied to you or used you Cath," he told her sincerely.

"I know that but you left me and that is the thing that hurts the most," Catherine told him, "especially because it was you. You were the one who was there to tell me that I was worth something."

"You are the best in the world and any guy who doesn't see that is an idiot," Gil told her quietly.

"I need you so much Gil," Catherine told him, "you left me and completely broke my heart and I can't stop my from needing you to be there for me." Now tears replaced her anger. They were falling down her cheeks and she could not stop them.

Without thinking about it Grissom walked around behind her desk and wrapped his arms around her. He expected her to fight and tell him to leave her alone. Instead she buried her face in his chest and clung to him. As her legs started to shake he lowed both of them to the ground very carefully not letting go Catherine as he did so. Once they were on the ground he began to rub her back in circles trying to sooth her.

Finally the tears stopped but Catherine did not let go of Grissom. "Catherine I am so sorry about everything," Grissom told her, "I never meant to hurt you."

"No I was out of line," she told him trying to put her mask back on, "it isn't your job to make me happy. You are happily married. I am not your problem."

"Catherine first of all I never want you to think that you were ever anyone's problem especially not mine. I wish I could have been there for you all those time that I wasn't," Grissom told her, "and second of all I am not married and never have been."

"But Sara said that," Catherine started.

"Sara was lying," Grissom told her.

"Grissom I love you and I have for a long time," Catherine told him, "I am going to tell you that and let you choose what you do with it."

"I love you, Catherine," Grissom told her. "Trying to make myself love Sara wasn't fair to her and it wasn't fair to you. I am sorry to both of you but especially you." Tentatively he placed his lips on Catherine's and kissed her.

When they broke apart Catherine looked at him. "Well it took us twenty years to get there," Catherine said, "but better late than never."

_**Right so there it is I really kind of like it. I hope that you liked it. Please Review. Grillows Forever.**_


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